Blaser notes that of the “things that run interference on a poet’s life,” listening can be one of the most difficult “companions” to work with. We might listen as a way to locate, or even dislocate, particular resonances we feel in our relationship with the world. We might seek reciprocity with a river, a place, the relations that bind us, those things that help us find meaning. For this year’s Blaser contest, we’re interested in poetry that explores the dynamic of listening as a praxis.